The ancestors of the modern Pueblo peoples, including the Hopi, Zuni and the Puebloans, do not prefer the term “Anasazi.” Often referred to as the Ancient Pueblo People or Ancestral Puebloans, the modern Hopi call them “Hisatsinom” (People of Long Ago).

The Hopi people trace their history in Arizona to more than 2,000 years, but their history as a people goes back many more thousands of years. According to their legends, the Hopi migrated north to Arizona from the south, up from what is now South America, Central America and Mexico.

The airy settlement that we explored had been built by the Anasazi, a civilization that arose as early as 1500 B.C. Their descendants are today’s Pueblo Indians, such as the Hopi and the Zuni, who live in 20 communities along the Rio Grande, in New Mexico, and in northern Arizona.

Mesa Verde: Cliff Dwellings of the Anasazi. The Mesa Verde archaeological region, located in the American Southwest, was the home of a pueblo people who, during the 13th century A.D., constructed entire villages in the sides of cliffs.

Mesa Verde is best known for a large number of well-preserved cliff dwellings, houses built in alcoves, or rock overhangs along the canyon walls. The structures contained within these alcoves were mostly blocks of hard sandstone, held together and plastered with adobe mortar.

Mesa Verde officially became a national park on June 29, 1906. Not only is this a national park but it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This park preserves more than 5,000 archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. This is the largest archaeological preserve in the United States.

How long will it take to see Mesa Verde National Park? Allow at least six hours in Mesa Verde, preferably more – plus driving time to and from the Park. Most visitors want at least an overnight and one full day to sightsee and hike.

The best time to visit Mesa Verde National Park is in the spring and fall months. Both periods are pleasant times in terms of weather. Additionally, you experience fewer visitors than during the packed summer season.

Mesa Verde is full of sites to see on your own. Some sites are open year-round, while others are open seasonally.

You are still able to go to the Cliff Palace Overlook which is found in the Chapin Mesa section of the park down the Cliff Palace Loop Road. You can also see Cliff Palace from across the canyon while on the Mesa Top Loop Road.

Mesa Verde Country has a strong agricultural tradition. They farmed the valleys and the mesas of Montezuma County, including Mesa Verde National Park, until around 1300 A.D. Agriculture continues to be an important part of the culture in Mesa Verde Country.

Mesa Verde National Park is in Southwestern Colorado. The park entrance is along Highway 160 between the towns of Mancos and Cortez, Colorado and about 35 miles west of Durango, Colorado.

The 700 Years Tour provides you with an overall historical view of the Ancestral Puebloans’ architectural, horticultural, cultural, and religious dimensions of their lives in the Southwest.

127 miles

Cliff Palace is a group of 150 rooms carved into the cliffs of Mesa Verde. It was built 800 years ago by Ancestral Puebloans. Ranchers rediscovered Cliff Palace in 1888.

Alert 1 , Severity ,closure ,,Some Services Still LimitedMesa Verde National Park is open and reservations are not needed to enter the park. The campground, park bookstore, and most roads, sites, and trails are open. However, services are limited and the Museum and Visitor Center remain closed.

600 years

The Anasazi left little writing except for the symbolic pictographs and petroglyphs on rock walls. However, a severe drought from about A.D. 1275 to 1300 is probably a major factor in their departure. There is also evidence that a marauding enemy may have forced them to flee.

In addition to the drought and marauding enemy theories, scientists suggest that things like poor sanitation, pests, and environmental degradation may have caused the Anasazi to move.